I started out about 8:30 am from Little Rock on Thursday (Oct
.
Whoa, where's my helmet?
Stopped along the way at Mt. Magazine, here looking out over Petit Jean Valley
Met up with Steve (OU812) and Steve2 who traveled down from near Chicago, and Vicki and Mark (mad1150) who also came in from IL. We ate dinner at the Pied Piper in Eureka Springs Sorry, forgot to take pictures of the food; in fact, if it hadn't been for OU812 constant reminders, I probably wouldn't have any pictures at all!
Friday morning we ate breakfast together, then went down the Pig Trail (AR-23). OU812 took an early detour to chase some Honda riders off to Fayetteville. The rest of us went through Ozark (site of last years Gypsy Bash). We all agreed the Ozark Motel had lost its charm with the new owners, both on the phone, and in person. Shortly after Ozark we made our destination: Paris, AR for Hannigans Fairing Factory Tour.
Here we met up with Jerry Heil, Manager of the place who gave us a tour of the manufacturing process and the historic building. OU812 eventually rejoined us here.
Jerry (et al.) had a huge collection of collectable bikes with Hannigan's Fairing that I forgot to take pictures of. But this pic gives you an idea. Multiply this classic times about 20.
We were all very absorbed by Jerry's tour and we spent about 3 hours in the Factory.
Steve2
Meanwhile, Vicki, who had declined the tour, waited for us in the parking lot. We were in there so long she saw gas prices go down twice before we emerged.
We also met Mario Caruso, author of "Arkansas Rider's Guide" a motorcycling guide to the best riding in the state. He was riding a MotoGuzzi, and heading up another group of riders, the HSTA (Honda Sport Touring Assoc.) who were headquartered in Paris.
Saturday morning we also got up early
duckdave and Boxer's beaksters in the morning dew.
Thanks to OU812, this time we remember to make the obligatory food shots:
Yum!
We split off into small groups and headed every which way. I followed OU812 and Dano (from WI, friend of Ves) back down the Pig Trail, then across AR-215 to Oark, were we rested briefly at the Oark Cafe, longest continually operating Cafe in AR.
Steve made friends with one of the locals.
duckdave inside the Cafe.
We all eventually made it back up to Carolyn's Ozark Swiss Inn (headquarters motel) and started arguing about where to hold the annual business meeting, raffle and dinner party. Finally, Vicki settled it for us by suggesting we have pizza delivered and eat dinner and drink beer in the parking lot. This seemed to suit everyone pretty well, being such a picky group and all. Other's photos will have to do this part justice, but here's just a couple.
Phil (Boxer) from GA
Mark (mad1150)
Cindy at the motel, and her family were most accommodating. Every evening they brought us cobbler, which was a highlight! Need a refrigerator for your room…No Problem! Wonderful hosts. Hopefully Boxer or Dano have some photos that do the motel justice.
Sunday morning, everyone packed up and left. First off was Boxer. He had to leave early cause he was taking the long way home. I left last at 8:30. I went home by way of AR-21, returning to
Kingston, location of our encounter with the rat bike riding-deer bashing-physician who warned us earlier about the hazards of evening travel in the neighborhood. He entertained us with tales of (not once, but) twice doing battle with the mighty deer from the seat of his rat bike. He won both times, but just barely. Wish we had a picture of this guy. We loved him, and sent him ahead to clear the highway for us.
In all I put almost 900 miles on my bike. Not a record by any means, as I was the closest attendee.
Home Again.
Looking forward to the skilled photo journals of Phil and Dan, but this taste should keep the rest of you at bay for a day or so.
Respectfully submitted,
-dd
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